Since Ancient Times...

"The... the Holy Land?" Lor'themar was stunned by Zul'ra's words, not by the news of Amani Amani Holy Land in Quel'Thalas, but by the fact that it was located on Sunstrider Isle. 💗😈 👤♦

It's no secret that the Amani Holy Land is located within Quel'Thalas's territory; however, the exact location and contents of Amani Holy Land remain unknown to outsiders.

Even the Elves, who established a kingdom in the Trolls territory, didn't quite understand what the Trolls ' holy land was. They mostly believed that the holy land was a point where magical energy converged in nature on the original site of the Sunwell Plateau where they once built, but this idea was actually wrong.

Amani's holy site is in Zul'Aman, or more precisely, the city of Zul'Aman more than six thousand years ago, before the Elves took over its territory.

Just as Silvermoon City is not merely a city at the northern tip of the continent, but a vast territory encompassing Ban'dinoriel, including Eversong Woods and Isle of Quel'Danas.

More than six thousand years ago, before the ancestors of the High Elves crossed the sea to the east, Zul'Aman's territory encompassed all the land north of the present-day Thalas Mountains, and within this territory, the city of Tranquility behind Battleaxe Ridge was only a part.

"I'm so sorry, Zul'ra Jin, may I ask what's in that holy site?" Lor'themar regretted bringing up this ancient site of all things.

"It's nothing, just a tomb that we Amani built after the ancient war!" Zul'ra looked at Lor'themar with a smile.

"Ancient Wars?" Lor'themar asked, forcing a smile. He was indeed puzzled by the wars that had taken place in ancient times.

"Yes, it was a great war that took place in ancient times, just like the War of the Ancients, a war in which many races, including your ancestors, the Kaldorei, Shu'halo, and dragons, united to fight against the Burning Legion in order to protect our world," Zul'ra gave a brief description.

"That must have been an incredibly great war." Lor'themar felt a chill run down his spine. The more solemnly it was described, the more extraordinary the significance of the Holy Land to Amani.

"Of course, Zuldrak, Zul'Aman, Zul'Gurub, and Zandalar —all of us Trolls have united to fight an immense enemy, an enemy whose impact on our world is no less than that of the Burning Legion." Zul'ra began to unfold the story with a mystical tone.

"Who?" Lor'themar felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"The Azj'Aqir Empire."

"..." Lor'themar blinked. He had never heard of this name before, not even a single word of it in history.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it. Your race was once very glorious, but ultimately, you are still very young." Zul'ra said arrogantly, while Lor'themar looked embarrassed and wanted to refute but couldn't, because it was an indisputable fact that Quel'Thalas, and even the Empire of Azshara, was established and rose to power later than the Troll Empire.

"Although you haven't heard of him, I think you're actually quite familiar with this Azj'Aqir." Zul'ra glanced at Lor'themar's embarrassed expression and couldn't help but squint slightly.

"Hmm?" Lor'themar perked up. If the opportunity arose, he would like to tell Quel'Thalas some history, to give it a reason to preserve the territory since ancient times.

"The Crypt Fiend, the monsters within the the Scourge, and their mysterious kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, were once part of the Azj'Aqir Empire. I think you've also noticed that the the Scourge's Necropolis looks very similar to our city." Zul'ra revealed a corner of the mysterious iceberg to Lor'themar.

"What!" Lor'themar's expression changed drastically. The Scourge's Crypt Fiend —just the name alone shows how much they value those monstrous spider creatures, those cruel beings. And their kingdom—is it merely a part of Azj'Aqir?

"Endless insect monsters, their goal is to devour the world's life force and wipe out all non-insect life. Do you know the Tanaris Desert in the south of Kalimdor? That's the scar they left behind when they ravaged the world. If Kalimdor hadn't collapsed, the scar would be even bigger." Zul'ra spoke eloquently, producing evidence to support his claims.

"That Azj'Aqir should have been wiped out by now!" Lor'themar couldn't help but swallow hard. He was wondering what exactly was inside the Amani Sanctuary. So far, they had sent people to help the Blue Dragonflight Malygos clear out the insects, bone dragons, and Undead. Due to political sensitivities and magical reactions, they hadn't dared to dig rashly. In retrospect, that decision seemed quite fortunate!

"Indeed, they were wiped out, just like the ancient alliance defeated the Burning Legion. We waged war for two thousand years, scattering the Azj'Aqir swarm and killing their leader, a Krax'is." Zul'ra gave Lor'themar a timeline.

"Two... Krax'is?" Lor'themar was taken aback; for the first time, he realized how little he knew about the Trolls race.

"It, an evil creature, a creature that appeared out of nowhere, a servant of the ancient Old God, oh, the holy site we built is its tomb, because it was too evil, so it was buried deep underground." Zul'ra nodded, and pointed out that Krax'is, who was killed by the Amani ancestors, was buried in the ruins below that abyss.

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"So that's how it is. That monster is dead, isn't it!" Lor'themar couldn't help but feel a little sad. The story was full of legendary elements, making people want to imagine the bravery and fearlessness of the Trolls, but the biggest problem was that the sacred site of Amani was on Sunstrider Isle.

"Dead. Killed in the North by Amani's ancestors and buried alive." Zul'ra was straightforward. He had checked the records; the Krax'is was definitely dead. The Trolls couldn't disperse Azj'Aqir unless they completely killed it. Quel'Thalas didn't need to worry about the monster returning, but that was the historical connection.

"..." Lor'themar looked at the Trolls who was so decisive, and didn't know what to say.

"Your Highness, Regent, please speak!" Zul'ra refused to accept Lor'themar's silence.

"I'm sorry, Zul'ra Jin, His Majesty Dath'Remar's shrine is also on Sunstrider Isle." Lor'themar took a breath. He didn't have the face or the means to argue anymore. If it were anywhere else, perhaps he could back down a bit, but Sunstrider Isle was really out of the question. It was the burial place of the first Sun King.

"Dath'Remar Sunstrider, he was a courageous pioneer. Although he was once an enemy, I cannot ignore his achievements and bravery." Zul'ra nodded in approval, pausing slightly after giving a thumbs-up.

"... Your knowledge of history is truly admirable." Lor'themar hadn't expected Zul'ra to praise the first king of Quel'Thalas. He felt both honored and embarrassed, a headache forming in his head. What should he do about this dispute?

"But that holy site represents the achievements of our Amani." Zul'ra continued, picking up where she left off, instantly extinguishing any sense of honor Lor'themar might have felt.

"... He is buried deep underground." Lor'themar finally uttered a sentence after a long while. If it is an achievement, why not enshrine it? No one buries achievements underground.

"Yes, underground in Zul'Aman six thousand years ago." Zul'ra gave Lor'themar a geographical lesson. Perhaps it was wrong to say it was buried underground, but it was right to say it was buried under his own house. Zul'Aman six thousand years ago included the land north of the present-day Thalas Mountains.

"Then what do you want to do?" Lor'themar lowered his right eye, a surge of emotion building in his chest, wanting to erupt but unable to.

"Your Highness Regent, I understand your difficulties, but I have no choice. In matters of diplomacy with Quel'Thalas and aiding the Sin'dorei, I have already gone against the will of the Amani," Zul'ra said, feigning distress, before Lor'themar could react.

"However, these are extraordinary times. There are the Scourge and Legion eyeing us from the outside world. I think it would be better if we temporarily put aside the matter of Sunstrider Isle, but we need to reach some agreements on this postponement."

"What kind of agreement? Zul'ra Jin, we already made territorial agreements in the agreement regarding the recapture of Silvermoon City." Lor'themar had initially felt a glimmer of hope when faced with Zul'ra's stalled words, but upon hearing about the agreement, he couldn't help but purse his lips again.

"I understand, but this is the beginning you started." Zul'ra looked somewhat helpless. According to the agreement he had made with Quel'Thalas in the past, he had given up his claims to territories outside of Amani, but the current situation was not something he had provoked.

"Why don't you tell me your thoughts first!" Lor'themar suppressed his anger. He somewhat regretted sending people to help the Blue Dragonflight. The Amani Trolls' constant encroachment on Quel'Thalas was also worrying him. What would the Sin'dorei do?

"We will temporarily set aside the sovereignty of Sunstrider Isle, but this is on the condition that you do not destroy our clan's underground sacred site. The situation in Sin'dorei is not good right now, and I don't want to add fuel to the fire. Therefore, we will keep the information about the sacred site confidential for the time being. As for any future disputes, we should prioritize peaceful resolution and seek peaceful opening of the area." Zul'ra offered a very sincere idea.

"These are acceptable." Hearing Zul'ra's words, Lor'themar felt slightly better, but at the same time, she was still somewhat incredulous. Did Amani not have any demands regarding the territory?

"Beyond Sunstrider Isle, I would also like to ask Quel'Thalas to do Amani a favor by granting us the right to use Sunsail Anchorage, and also by exempting Quel'Thalas Amani from all docking taxes. This would facilitate the opening of a sea route to the Kalimdor," Zul'ra added.

"Exempt..." Lor'themar's face darkened slightly. Not only were they granted the right to use the route, but they were also asked to waive all taxes and fees. However, the promise of opening up the air route was something that was hard to refuse.

"There's a third point. I hope to facilitate cultural exchange between Quel'Thalas and Amani, and to open up some technical issues. To be honest, I believe that each culture has its strengths and weaknesses, and learning from each other's strengths will be beneficial to progress. Besides, Quel'Thalas will soon join the Horde..." Zul'ra then made his third request.

"Only three conditions, I suppose!" Lor'themar breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that Zul'ra hadn't brought up any territorial issues, but he remained wary. Opening up technology—was Amani trying to steal the secrets of Arcane?

"That's all." Zul'ra shook his head. Today's events were a complete surprise. He had originally wanted to add some territorial demands, but then he thought it would be too much of a mistake. Besides, Amani was already overwhelmed with other matters, and the Sin'dorei were about to join the Horde. It wouldn't be good to strain relations. There would be plenty of time to deal with it later.

There's nothing left at night.